By Kathryn Coulibaly
Every year for the past 25 years, Maud Dahme boards a flight to Europe in July. Dahme, the current chair of New Jersey’s Commission on Holocaust Education, has been painstakingly planning this trip for many months. She will be joined by 30 to 35 educators who will spend the next two weeks learning about the Holocaust and visiting sites in four different countries, all in an effort to bring what they learn back to their students.
The group typically spends two to three days in each city. The tour usually includes Berlin, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Krakow, Poland; Lublin, Poland; Warsaw, Poland; and Amsterdam, Netherlands.
One of the stops on this trip will be Amersfoort in the Netherlands, the town where Dahme was born in 1936. At the age of 6, Dahme and her four-year old sister, Rita, went to live with Christian families in the Netherlands in an effort to save them from the Holocaust. Dahme and her sister were among thousands of “hidden children” across Europe. After the war, Dahme and her sister were reunited with their parents, but the rest of their extended family were killed at Sobibor concentration camp. In 1950, the family emigrated to New Jersey, eventually settling in Palisades Park.
Dahme writes about the experience of being separated from her family in her book, Chocolate, The Taste of Freedom: The Holocaust Memoir of a Hidden Dutch Child. She also was featured in a PBS documentary, “The Hidden Child.” For Dahme, now in her 80s, the journey—and sharing the stories of those affected by the Holocaust—is a lifelong mission.
“Many classroom teachers in New Jersey have met survivors,” Dahme says. “They’ve seen the films and read survivors’ stories. But actually being there is so powerful. The lessons they take back with them to their students and schools are incredible. It really is life changing.”
Dahme and Polish guide Adam Szczucinski develop the itinerary, adapting as new sites become available or others close for renovation, recruiting speakers and identifying new opportunities to tell the stories of the people who were affected as they explore cities and towns that still bear the signs and the memory of the Holocaust.
For Dahme, bringing together educators on this trip is deeply personal. She invites the group for an orientation at her house in June. She wants to give everyone a chance to meet for the first time, get to know their roommate and go over the do’s and don’ts.
The trip usually begins in the middle of July, which Dahme feels gives educators time between the school years.
In September or October, she hosts a reunion, also at her home. She finds that the people who participate in the trip make deep connections with each other and welcome the opportunity to come back together.
“The group comes together every year in a beautiful way,” Dahme says. “After one day, we become a family.”
The cost of the trip varies year to year, as does the itinerary. NJEA helps subsidize the trip for members and other organizations have given sums to offset the costs. Everything except souvenirs and a couple of the lunches are included in the cost of the trip. Upon arrival in Europe, usually beginning in Berlin, the group travels by air-conditioned, internet-accessible bus.
“Even though it’s a difficult trip and we cry a lot, we also laugh a lot. I try so hard to strike the balance,” Dahme says. “We talk to people about the culture, we enjoy the food. It’s a journey of love to share with everyone, especially when we’re in the Netherlands.”
Witnessing history for future generations
Educators who have traveled with Dahme cover every subject and grade level, from kindergarten to college, art to special education, and everything in between.
In 2017, NJEA President Sean M. Spiller and his wife, Lauren, went on the trip. Hearing about the trip inspired Vice President Steve Beatty and his wife, Tamara, a special education teacher in Cinnaminson, to go.
“It was a life-changing experience in a lot of ways,” Steve Beatty says. “I looked at it through three lenses: history teacher, human being and as a Jewish person.”
The tour is intense, and participants estimate walking six to eight miles a day.
“You had to balance the horrors with time to decompress and connect with different people in the group,” Steve Beatty recalls. “It helped to process it. We changed who we sat and ate with at meals every day. We wanted to get to know each person in the group. At night, there was an optional walk after dinner with Adam, the guide. We’d walk around for an additional hour or two, just seeing the sites.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity to take this trip,” Tamara Beatty says. “It’s once in a lifetime. To be able to go with fellow educators who are passionate about the subject just adds to the trip.”
Cheryl Jones, an elementary school teacher in Tenafly, had never heard of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education until an advertisement for an online workshop caught her eye. During that workshop, she learned about the Holocaust education trip, which has had a profound impact on her and her teaching.
“The trip has broadened my understanding of how Holocaust education can be tailored for younger students,” Jones says. “In various learning scenarios, students are encouraged to delve deeply into their own roles, perspectives and viewpoints, while also learning to treat others with kindness and consideration. Cooperative learning activities not only foster mutual support but also provide valuable lessons in handling conflicts with fairness and compassion. I firmly believe that these fundamental skills are essential for every child to acquire and uphold. Finally, engaging children in discussions and activities that promote empathy, tolerance and respect for diversity help to cultivate a sense of responsibility and moral integrity.”
Challenging yourself
The trip is an intense experience, physically as well as emotionally.
“A trip like this stirs up a lot of emotions,” Jones says. “It was shocking, disturbing, infuriating, sickening and sad, but it was also engaging, informative, thought-provoking, impactful and transformative.”
After guiding hundreds of people to visit the sites over 20 years, Dahme has found that people react to the experience in a number of ways. “Different people react differently,” Dahme says. “You don’t know how you will react.”
For Tamara Beatty, visiting Majdanek concentration camp in Poland was one of the most powerful memories from the trip.
“It wasn’t crowded,” she says. “It was haunting.”
On their way to the camp, they visited Tarnow, where the Jewish population of the village was killed, and the children buried in a mass grave.
Bringing the lessons home
NJEA subsidizes the cost of the trip for members with the understanding that members will bring what they have learned back to their schools, communities, and their local and county associations.
“In my class, my students and I talk about what it means to be a bystander,” Tamara Beatty says. “We read Night by Elie Weisel. We got books from the Holocaust Commission free of charge. There are a lot of resources that people don’t know they can access, including curriculum.”
Tamara Beatty was appointed to the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education in 2021 and hopes to help make more educators aware of the resources that are available.
“I think it’s so important for educators to go on this trip because we can’t let history repeat itself,” Tamara Beatty says. “This happened and we have people saying it didn’t. With people trying to ban books and refusing to allow us to teach the truth, I think it’s so important that we have these opportunities to bring this experience to our students. As survivors pass away, we now share that responsibility to speak about what happened and what it was like. We have a shared responsibility for teaching the truth.”
NJEA: Committed to supporting educators
Subsidizing the trip and supporting educators who choose to participate has been a priority for NJEA for many years.
“NJEA is an organization committed to equity work and justice,” Steve Beatty says. “We have a lot of work to do. As educators, it is our charge.”
Dahme has worked with NJEA for many years, and she is proud of the work that has been accomplished together.
“It’s been so great to work with NJEA,” Dahme says. “It’s a wonderful relationship between the Holocaust Commission and NJEA. We collaborate on many other projects. I served on the New Jersey State Board of Education for many years, and I got to know everyone at NJEA really well through the years.”
Holocaust education is relevant in every grade
Regardless of the grade level or ability, the lessons of the Holocaust are relevant to every student.
“Holocaust education is powerful and necessary because it fosters critical thinking and encourages reflection on pressing issues such as prejudice, bystander behavior and the profound impact of individual actions on shaping society,” Jones says. “By confronting these complexities, students may be equipped with the knowledge and moral compass necessary to navigate an increasingly interconnected and diverse world. Just as importantly, teaching about the Holocaust has the potential to empower learners and to prevent future tragedies.”
When educators bring what they have learned back to their practice in the classroom and share it with their colleagues, they work hard to find age- and grade level-appropriate ways to talk about what they have experienced.
But the overriding principle is clear. As Tamara Beatty recalls, “Our tour guide at Auschwitz ended the tour by saying, ‘What will you do today to make this world a better place tomorrow?’”
Kathryn Coulibaly is the associate editor of the NJEA Review and provides content and support to njea.org. She can be reached at kcoulibaly@njea.org.
Learn more about the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education trip
The trip is held annually in July, generally during the last two weeks. The cost of the trip varies, depending on the itinerary and number of participants. Information about the trip typically becomes available in December. The deadline to submit the deposit, which holds your spot, is Feb. 1.
For more information and educational resources, go to nj.gov/education/holocaust.